Mowing machine



4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Mod'e l.)

B. BRANSON. MOWING MACHINE.

Patented Se 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

B. BRANSON.

MOWING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 23, 1890.

Witnesses.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' B. BRANSON.

MOWING MACHINE. No. 436,912. Patented Sept. 23, 1890.

fig 1i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRYAN BRANSON, OF GRANTIIA'M, ASSIGNOR TO EDIVARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE, OF STAMFORD, ENGLAND.

MOWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,912, dated September 23, 1890.

Application filed February 11, 1890. Serial No. 340,001. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: sitions after having been thrown outof align- Be it known that I, BRYAN BRANSON, a subinent by the wear of their connecting-joint ject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing due to the constant strain on the finger-bar. at Grantham, En gland ,have invented new and I preferably attach the lock-bar to the j ointuseful Improvements in Mowing-Machines, pin instead of providing special meansfor its of which the following is a specification. attachment, as has heretofore been the case.

My invention relates to mowing-machines; The pole-bracket is fixed or keyed upon the and it consists chiefly in the provision of main axle, and is connected to one of the improved means for enabling the finger-bar bracket-s or arms by means 7 of a chain or 10 to follow the inequalities of the ground more sliding bolt capable of adjustment by means freely than heretofore by hinging or pivoting of screwed nuts or by a bell-crank hand-lever the main casting or framing carrying the working over a notched quadrant. By this hinge-beam to a part of machine nearer the arrangement the p0le-bracket serves to supsaid hingebeam and knife-bar than the axle, port the brackets and parts connected thereto,

15 to which it has hitherto been the practice to and the adjustment allows of the relative pohinge it; but my invention also comprises sitions of the said pole bracket and arm being other improvements, all as hereinafter devaried to suittheheightofthehorse employed. scribed, and pointed out in the claims. The crank for driving the knife I prefer to In carrying my invention into practice I form double, so as to enable the crank-shaft 20 key or otherwise fix upon the main axle of to be extended and supportedby means of an the machine brackets or arms, the free ends additional bearing on the crank-shield, Suitof which serve as bearings for the main castable means are provided for lubricating the ing to hinge or turn in, and the first motion pin of the said crank. spindle is journaled within the said main Instead of placing the guides for the Whitfie- 2 5 casting. By this arrangement the spindle can tree-slides underneath the pole, as is usual, I

rotate independently of the casting and the attach them to the sides of the same. By this casting can hinge or turn independently of arrangementtheslides can be easilylubricated either the arms or the spindle. The main and the whiffletree is maintained in a level casting is arranged at the front or rear of the position. The said whiffletree is attached to 0 main axle according as to whether the mathe slide by a central bolt, to which is at chine is to have a front or back axle, and it tached aloop or eye for connecting the pole is constructed to inclose the first-motion spinby a draw-bar to an extension on the hinge-j dle and the bevel wheels for driving the beam. crank-spindle which operates the knife, the I construct the crank end of the connecting- 3 5 said crank-spindle being also inclosed within rod of ,a U or similar shape, to receive the two it. The first-motion spindle is provided with halves of the bush. A curved spring is arspur-pinions which are driven from the drivranged in connection with the said bush, the ing or carrying Wheels in the usual manner. center of which bears upon the upper side of The hinge-beam, which is hinged to the the bush, while its ends are in contact with 40 main casting in the usual manner, is provided the sides of the U-shaped end, which sides 0 with a stay which is slotted so as to embrace are connected by a bolt and nut, so that by a block journaled on the free end of one of turning the said nut the sides of the said U- the arms or brackets hereinbefore described, shaped end will be drawn together, so as to thereby enabling the beam to move freely up take up the wear of the halves of the bush,

5 and down, and at the same time prevent it and the ends of the spring will be pressed being strained by the pressure on the fingernearer together, thereby causing the center of bar. The free end of the hinge-beam is the said spring to press on the top of the bush. hinged to the finger-bar in the usual manner, I also make use of an improved form of rodand means are provided for adjusting or stop, by means of which the connecting-rod I 50 bringing them into their proper relative pocan be more readily removed than heretofore, I00

Upon the slade or inner shoe, just above the knife end, I arrange a grease-box to lubricate the slide and knife end.

In stead of constructingthe track-board with a flat plate on its under edge,I preferably arrange an angle-iron instead, it being fastened to the said board by means of bolts and nuts.

To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe how it can be carried into practice by reference to the accompanyin g drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional plan of the main portion of a mowing-machine constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same, the section being taken on the line a: 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the pole-bracket and some of the adjacent parts. Figs. 4 to 12 are views of details fully hereinafter described, and Figs. 13 to 18 details showing the clutch lock-bar, the connection between the connecting -rod and the knife-rod, and an elevation of the track-board.

Similar reference-letters indicate similar parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a a are the driving or carrying wheels mounted on the main axle b, and c is the first-motion spindle, which is driven from the teeth a on the said wheels through the medium of spur-pinions o c.

c c are the clutches which form part of and serve to connect the pinions c c'nvith the spindle c, and by which the en ttingmechanism is operated only when the machine is drawn forward. One of these combined clutches and pinions is shown in elevation and section at Figs. 13 and 14, respectively, the clutch portion consisting of a projecting flange on the pinion 0, provided with ratchetteeth 0 with which engages a spring-pawl c pivoted to a block fixed to the spindle c.

d is the crank-shaft driven from the spindle 0, through the medium of bevel-wheels d and (Z and serving to actuate the knife (not shown in the drawings) by means of the crank 6, connecting-rod or pitman e, and sliding block or knife end 6 f is the hinge-beam hinged to the main casting at Z, to which is jointed the finger-bar f, provided with the fingers f and f 3 is the slade or shoe attached to the said bar and carrying the adjustable guide or leading wheel 3.

g is the pole which is connected by the polebracket g to the main axle b, and which carries the drivers seat g g is the lever-handle, mounted on the side of a segment-rack on the pole-bracket g, and g the foot-lever for lifting the hinge-beam and finger-bar through the medium of the chain 9 this lever being a bell-crank lever pivoted at its angle on shaft 1) and connected by a link to the hand-lever g The chain g is connected to a segment casting atthe lower end of this hand-lever, and from thence passes under a sheave or pulley n in the lower forward extension of the stay j, and is connected to the inner end of the lock-bar m.

All the foregoing parts are of known construction.

I will now describe my improvements.

h h are the brackets or arms, which are fixed on the main axle b by screws h or the like, and t' is the main casting journaled therein at t" 1?. The first-motion spindle c is also journaled in bushings 2 in the interior of the journals 1'' of the main casting. By this arrangement it will be seen that the finger-bar f, knife, and parts connecting them to the main casting, and the main casting itself, have an oscillating or hinging movement at a point nearer to them than the main axle and upon the first-motion spindle c, and independent thereof, thereby enabling the said bar and knife to follow the inequalities of the ground more freely than heretofore.

j is the stay, having a forward projection, which is attached rigidly to the hinge-beam f, .and j is the slot therein to enable it to embrace the block 7' journaled on the free end of the bracket 71. The said stay is shown detached in side and end elevation in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively.

For adjusting the relative positions of the hinge-beam f and finger-bar f, as hereinbefore described, I form the joint or hinge by means of two bosses 7c which work on the pin Z on the said finger-bar and are provided with pins 70 k and nuts 70 70 to enablethem to be attached to the said hinge-beam, the pin k passing through a hole at the front of the said beam and the pin k through a slot 70 at the rear, so as to enable the finger-bar to be brought into alignment with the hingebeam, the pin k moving in the said slot, while the pin 70 serves as a pivot for the finger-bar to turn upon. After having been moved into alignment, I prefer to insert in the space in the slot 10 behind the pin 70 a metal packing-piece, so as to take the strain off the said pin. In Fig.1 the nut onthe pin 70 is omitted, in order to clearly show the slothm is a lock-bar, which actuates the fingerbarf and works on the joint-pin Z, as shown most clearly in Fig. 15, which represents a side view of the said bar and parts in connection therewith. This bar is bent, as shown at m, so as to overlie the hinge-beam f, and is also provided with a cranked portion m so that when the chain 9 is operated to lift the finger-bar f, the parts m and m come into contact with the hinge-beam and shoe f respectively, thereby causing the finger-bar to be lifted from the ground horizontally in a well-known manner.

0, Fig. 2, is the chain which connects the bracket h to the pole-bracket g, the said chain being united to the bracket g by an adj listing-screw 0. Instead of the chain 0, a sliding bolt may be employed, as shown in detached view in Fig. 5" In this case the bolt is connected to the bracket 9' in a similar manner to the chain 0, but at its lower end is provided with a head 0 upon which rests ICU IIO

thebracket it through the medium of an extension o through which the said bolt passes. These arrangements, while allowing the pole to bend' under the weight of the hinge-beam and cutter-bar when they are lifted, prevent the bending movement being communicated to the arm or bracket 71., (which would be the case if the pole were connected rigidly to the arm or bracket,) thereby avoiding the risk of straining the bracket and putting the journal t" out of line.

Instead of the screw I sometimes make use of the bell-crank hand-lever 19, working over a notched plate 19' on the pole-bracket g, as shown clearly in detached view in Fig. (5.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the crank for driving the knife is formed double or with an additional portion 6*, so as to enable the crank-shaft d to be extended and supported in an additional bearing (1 on the crankshield (1 For lubricating the pin ofthe said crank, I form the crank-pin (Z with a hole d plugged at both ends, as shown in detached view at Fig. 6. This hole communicates with the surface of the crank-pin by one or more holes 61 and with the outside of the crank by means of a hole (1 a set-screw c being used to seal the hole (l when charged with lubricant.

In Figs. 1 and 2, q q are the whiiiletreeguides, and q the slide which works thereon, the said guides being-formed as shown, and placed at the sides of the pole g. g is the bolt, and (1 the loop or eye for connecting the pole g by the draw-bar (1 to the extension g on the hinge-beam f.

Figs. 7 and 8 are an end and side sectional elevation of the crank end of the connectingrod 6, it being formed of a U shape, as shown, to receive the bush o s is thecurved spring which bears upon the said bush and against the sides 7" of the end of the rod, and s s the bolt andnut, respectively, by tightenin gwhich the spring s will be caused to bear upon the bush, as hereinbefore described, and the wear of the bush taken up.

In Fig.1 and alsoin Figs. 9, 10, and 11, which are a plan, rear, and end elevation, respectively, is shown my improved form of rod stop or holder, which comprises the bearingpiece 15, hinged at t to a bracket attached to the slade or shoe f To the front end of the piece tis hinged the spring-arm t the free end of which engages, when locked, beneath a projection on the bracket 15*, the other end of the armt engaging in a recess t in the piece t, as shown clearly in the drawings. In order to raise the piece If to release the connecting-rod e, the spring-arm i must be disengaged from the recess 25 and turned into the position shown by the dotted linesin Fig. 10. This movement, by reason of the cam shape of the under edge of the free end of the arm i will lift the piece 25 into the position shown also by dotted lines. The

piece t can then be further turned on its pivot by lifting the arm i a, Fig. 2, is the grease-box, which I arrange on the slade or shoe f above and for the purpose of lubricating the block or knife end 6 which forms the connection between the connecting-rod c and the knife. ment is shown most clearly in Figs. 16 and 17, which represent a sectional plan and sectional elevation, showing the said knife end, greasebox, and adjacent parts.

Fig. 18 is a side elevation, and Fig. 12 a partial section, of my improved track-board, showing the angle-iron 'u fastened by bolts and nuts 1) & respectively.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. The main casting oscillating on an axis parallel with the main axle and at a point or line between the latter and the line of the finger-bar, the spindle supporting the main casting and extending across the machine and geared at both ends to the carriage-wheels, combined with the hinge-beam or couplingbar hinged at its inner end to such main casting, all substantially as set forth.

2. The main casting, the hinge-beam or coupling-bar pivotally connected to the main casting so that it may swing up and down at its outer end, said main casting being mounted in arms on and projected forward of the main axle and adapted to oscillate thereon, the axis of oscillation coinciding with the axis of the first-motion spindle, said spindle extending across the machine and being geared at both ends to the gear of the carriage-wheels, all substantially as set forth.

In a mower, the main framemounted on a spindle in front of and parallel with the main axle,the hinge-beam pivotally connected to the main frame, and the slotted stay secured tothe outer end of the hinge-beam to embrace a block journaled on an arm which supports the spindle.

4.. In a mowingnnachine, the hinge-beam, the hinge composed of the two bosses 1c is, bolted on the hinge-beam and Working on a pin 1 on the finger-bar, said bosses being provided with pins k k and nuts in, the pin passing through a hole at the front of the hinge-beam, and the pin 1& through a slot 70 at the rear,-substantially as shown and described.

5. In a mowing-machine, the combination of the hinge-beam, the lock-bar in, having a heel at one end contacting directly with the linger-bar and mounted on the joint-pin l, and provided with abend m, adapted to overlie and bear against the hinge-beam, and a lifting-chain connected -to the inner end of the lock-bar and passing under a pulley on the hinge-beam and connected to a liftinglever on the pole, all substantially as shown and described.

This arrange- ICC) 6. In a mowing-machine having its main 1 connecting the pole-bracket g to one of the s, and a spring bearing on said bush and on brackets h, projecting from the main axle, the sides 7* 0f the U-shaped end, substanwhich supportthe main casting, combined tially as shown and described. With the means, as setforth, foradj listing said 5 device, the combination permitting the pole BRYAN BRANSON;

to bend Without risk of straining the bracket Witnesses: and putting the journals 2' out of line. JOHN E. BOUSFIELD,

7. In a mowing-machine, a connecting; rod Of the firm 0f F. Redfern d2 00., 4 South or pitman having its crank end formed in U Street, Finsbury, London, Patent Agents. IO shape, as shown, combined With abush 7", bolt A. ST. VVURR. 

